SEASON TWO: DEVELOPMENT, FINANCING, MAKING INDEPENDENT FILMS
Featured
EP 209: TAX INCENTIVES
Amy Lemisch and Joe Chianese will discuss the history of tax incentives, where are the best programs and clarify the difference between tax rebates and tax credits. They will also discuss the most popular domestic and international programs as well as why tax incentives are often called soft money or free money. Joe would rather call it one of the essential pieces of the financing puzzle or a job creation act since incentives are responsible for multiple economic benefits. Incentive programs are just like any relationship: you are looking for long-term consistency and no risk.
You will be introduced to how shooting locations are chosen based on creative and financial considerations: crew base, stages, production centers, rebates, and incentives. We look at why productions have chosen to film where they have and the pros and cons of shooting in different states and countries and hidden costs that the producing team should be aware of. This is the perfect episode for the layman and the professional, as we learn to decipher how to find the right jurisdiction for your project and more importantly, the questions to ask on this dense and intense topic!
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 208: BUYING AND SELLING Part Two
This episode is called “Buying and Selling, Part 2” and our guest panelists, Sherryl Clark and Peter Van Steemburg pick up the mantle from Adam Kolbrenner’s Buying and Selling, Part 1 podcast and add their nuanced and experienced thoughts.
Sherryl Clark – President of Production, The H Collective
Peter Van Steemburg – Vice President of Acquisitions & Production at the Universal Pictures Content Group
This is the episode where Peter and Sherryl discuss the perspective of a buyer and a seller. We learn about the buyer’s curatorial eye and the seller’s entrepreneurial and indefatigable spirit.
We talk about the art of putting together “a seller’s package and how to carefully balance the presentation and how oftentimes it’s just the script that is needed. Do you add the cast, director and budget to the script or does the script stand on its own? How do you build a list for the right place to send your project? How do you partner with another producer or company and not compromise your vision?
We speak about how time, relationships and reputation will almost always get you entrée to the buyer or the seller and oftentimes, assistants and junior reps are the unsung heroes and strong advocates of student films and festival offerings. If a script does not get made right away, always remember good is good and its time will come.
Other enticing tidbits include: Don’t overstay your welcome on someone’s phone sheet and just as important, how do you get in the room where it happens and what do you do when you are in the room. You don’t want to miss it!
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 207: BUYING AND SELLING
We are thrilled to have Adam Kolbrenner – Founder of Lit Entertainment Group on the podcast.
Adam is uniquely qualified to speak about buying and selling in the Hollywood marketplace from his varied background as an agent, manager and producer.
Adam also has the distinction of being the top representative (manager or agent) of all Black List screenwriters cumulative in the history of the annual Black List. Kolbrenner has distinguished himself in discovering new voices. On the Lit management side, Kolbrenner represents top creators and filmmakers in the industry.
This is the episode where we discuss his dual roles in management and producing and how one enhances the other. It was a engaging conversation where we spoke about the importance of being true to yourself and picking your writing lane. Oftentimes, Los Angeles is still the place to hang your hat for feature and television work.
We also talk about how managers scour the world for great, underrepresented writers and then grooms them before launching their scripts out to the world. We find out what’s sellable, how managers find the best teams to surround their clients, identify the right buyers and why hobbyists need not apply.
Take a listen to Adam’s advice for casting aside illusions and embracing the “blue collar job” reality of the writer. We chat about how writers are busting their butts, always generating ideas or listening to studio pitches. Most of all, we hear about Adam’s love for discovery, deciphering of what is unique and telling stories in a different way.
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 206: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
How do you decide which social media goes to which channel? When do you layout your social media program in order to achieve your desired metrics? How do you increase brand awareness? What hashtags are more meaningful than others? Which accounts should you use for business and personal? How do you create yourself as a brand? What style is your social media feed?
We have a great panel discussion with Melanie Capacia Johnson and Maggie Glover who have decades of experience in production and marketing and think the world of social media is still the Wild Wild West.
Our panelists take the guesswork out of navigating your Instagram, Facebook, Redditt, Snapchat and even up your Tik Tok game. Ok, it depends on your dance moves, however, this episode will teach you how-to standout on Social Media. You will learn what KPI and SEO mean and how snackable bites are more applicable to fun, engaging content and not just a discussion about your cooking! You’ll hear why these experts are pro-Kardashian and how to control the conversation from your posts.
They discuss the strategy of social media planning, the importance of talent deals that are social media friendly and how to create franchises around pre-existing IP. It’s less about augmenting your brand and more about reaching your specific goals. You will learn why 100 dedicated followers are oftentimes more than important than 5,000 casual followers, how to build continuous engagement and why authenticity is key.
We help you get a handle on your various #handles on #FB #IG and others in this fast changing marketplace. In the words of Maggie Glover, size doesn’t always matter.
#socialmediaexpertafterthispodcast #entertainmentinfluencer #tipstobuildyourfollowers
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 205: BUDGETING
In this episode we are talking about budgeting with Jeanette Volturno, Rick Osako, Jessica Malanaphy, and Shirley Davis, most of the team behind Catch A Break. We'll go line by line and talk about what it all means, and the not so obvious elements you don't want to forget while putting it all together.
Where do I start? What are the building blocks to creating a budget? What are elements that are easy to forget that will bite you later? How do you budget for a tax incentive? In what line do you put the director’s chair?
And we learn about the “WYSIWYG” - What You See Is What You Get - version of the budget.
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
BONUS MATERIAL
EP 204: INDEPENDENT FILMS
For this episode we are talking about independent films with Ray Mansfield and Sean McKittrick. Sean and Ray are producers and two of the founders of QC Entertainment. QC brought us the films Get Out and Blackkklansman, just to name two very recent and wildly successful films.
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 203: CROWDFUNDING
In this episode we will be talking about crowdfunding with Emily Best and Jonah Feingold. First, Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, an online crowdfunding and subscription streaming platform for content creators and audiences that emphasizes diversity and inclusion. Then, we'll speak with Jonah Feingold whose viral Kickstarter-backed short film BANGARANG broke the internet, trending number one on Reddit.
We go through the phases of crowdfunding and talk about how great it can be when all the right elements come together.
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 202: FINANCING FOR INDEPENDENT FILMS
For episode 202 we’ll be talking about financing for independent films with Producer and Co-Founder of the company Divide/Conquer, Adam Hendricks.
In this episode we dive into the different ways a movie can be financed.
Today, financing a movie is so difficult and raising the money is literally a job all unto itself. A movie can come in different packages; financing in place, partial financing or just a script and a filmmaker looking for financing. If you’re looking for a checklist and a formula, we’re sorry to tell you there isn’t one.
We have a great conversation with Adam Hendricks, who has a wealth of experience and a lot of insight. Here, Adam tells us about private equity and angel investors and the different reasons why they may want to contribute to financing a movie. As a producer, it’s important to deliver on that “why.”
THE PANEL
THE PODCAST
EP 201: DEVELOPMENT
This is the episode where we talk about generating ideas, developing projects, and different ways that people work - both in the writers’ room and outside of it.
How much does intuition play into a good idea?
Sometimes ideas are found in places where no one else is looking. And sometimes the truth is crazier than fiction. The writers’ room is a place to find your balance.
The Emmy-winning series In Living Color was the perfect training ground for our guests today, brothers Todd and Earl Richey Jones.
We are also joined by our own Jessica Hall Malanaphy, who offers the perspective of a development executive.
